| # Tasks: Load Local Env File | |
| ## 1. Dependency And Startup | |
| - [x] Add `python-dotenv` to `requirements.txt`. | |
| - [x] Import `load_dotenv` in `app.py`. | |
| - [x] Call `load_dotenv()` before environment-backed configuration constants are assigned. | |
| - [x] Confirm explicit process environment variables still take precedence. | |
| ## 2. Documentation | |
| - [x] Update README setup instructions to mention automatic `.env` loading. | |
| - [x] Update `.env.example` comments if needed. | |
| - [x] Update runtime setup text if it currently implies shell exports are required. | |
| ## 3. Verification | |
| - [x] Update `scripts/verify.py` to assert the dependency and startup wiring. | |
| - [x] Run `python scripts\verify.py`. | |
| - [x] Run `python -m py_compile app.py scripts\verify.py`. | |
| - [x] Run `git diff --check`. | |